“I’ve always said that I’d like to play for Las Palmas — my local team. But we’ll see how things go in two years and take it all from there.”

Silva’s first game of the season was special because he could take his son Mateo onto the pitch with him prior to the game, months after he was out of intensive care following his premature birth.

“It was so difficult with him being in hospital for so long,” Silva said. “You don’t stop thinking about it all the time. Besides, he was in Spain, meaning I had to travel a lot and I could hardly train.

“I didn’t sleep much, I wasn’t eating well. But, luckily, the team was doing really well and that helped me a lot.

“I’ve said it before that the only times I could get it out of my mind was playing in matches. Then I would start thinking about everything once the match was over. But yes, it was a really good get-out. Football is what we like and enjoy most.

“Now he’s doing fine and really everything was worth it. He suffered a lot but now he’s growing up really fast.”

Silva is also feeling better after a knee operation.

“Honestly, I feel fantastic,” he said. “Dr Cugat did amazing work with my knee and now I don’t feel any sort of discomfort.

“Over the past few years, I felt pains at times and when last season came to an end, we decided it would be best to start treatment. And the results were very positive.

“I’m not sure if this is the best start of a season for me, but it’s the best I’ve felt in years. It shows in my game. The challenge now is keeping up this level, and I’ll be working nonstop to maintain it.”d

Anthony DiMoro is the founder of Futbol Post. DiMoro has covered sports since 2011 and has launched successful brands such as Sports Rants and DiMoro Sports. Heading up DiMoro Inc., a media family that includes several sports entities, such as the Futbol Post.